Ferris State Hockey: 2013-14 WCHA Conference Champions from Michael Allen Corn on Vimeo.
Lake Superior State dumped a puck deep into the corner, the clock drained, painstakingly slow, until the horn blared.
The Ferris State hockey team had clinched a share of the regular season WCHA title in their first ever season in the conference.
Ferris social media intern Michael A. Corn recalls sprinting onto the ice to capture the moment with his GoPro camera.
“I don’t think the gravity of the situation really hit me until the team lined up for the photo,” Corn said. “Having been in that situation before at [The Grand Rapids Griffins], I knew that I just had to run out on the ice and capture what I could.”
Corn admitted that the moment even for him, was sublime.
“Once I saw the reaction of the guys, I couldn’t help but get this contagious sense of joy from them, and immediately had a big grin on my face,” Corn said.
The Bulldogs celebrated on the ice with fans in a ‘Skate With the Bulldogs,’ event.
The hard charging Minnesota State looked like they had locked up at least a share of the conference title, playing at home against an albeit desperate Michigan Tech team, who hoped dearly for a home playoff series.
The Bulldogs need the Huskies help. If Michigan Tech could scrape a win or a tie away from the Mavericks, it would give Ferris a chance to win the title outright.
The Huskies nearly choked the Mavericks out on the first night, but the Maverick’s high-octane offensive attack roared to life late in game one, scoring three goals in the final four minutes to win 3-0.
On the second night, the Huskies struck first and lead for most of the game. While Ferris players milled around on the ice with fans, celebrating a guaranteed share of the conference title, the Mavericks tied the game in the third.
A large crew of rink workers paused in the press box to watch a feed of the game with the Ferris Hockey radio crew on a laptop. Silence in the press box ensued as the game went to overtime.
A faceoff with thirteen seconds to go had the group on the edge of their seats. A tie would give Ferris the title outright.
A puck skittered away from a Minnesota State player, harmlessly into a corner, then, a fight in the boards, a desperate struggle for prominence, and a horn. The press box erupted. The one remaining Ferris player, sitting in the empty Dawg Pound with friends looked up.
High-fives and fist pumps, the improbable had happened; ‘The Miracle on March 8.’ Minnesota State had tied on their own ice, a building in which they finished the year overall 14-1-1 in.
Ferris went undefeated at home in conference play, posting a 13-0-1 mark, and an identical 14-1-1 overall at home.
A link to Corn’s footage of the on ice celebration is below.